Apparatus for lifting viscous fluids



Dec. 24, 1929. A. D. KNEUPER I APPARATUS FOR LIFTING VISCOUS FLUIDSFiled July so. 1928 Patented Dec. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEALEXANDER D. KNEUPEB, OF LOS ANGELES, GALIIORfiIA, ASQIGNOB TO LOUISEKNEUIER APPABA'IUS FOB LIFTING VISOOUS FLUIDS Application filed July 30,

My invention relates to a method of and apparatus for lifting viscousfluids and the method and apparatus herein described are particularlyadapted for elevating low specific oils from wells.

It will be understood that under ordinary conditions it is practicallyimpossible to lift relatively heavy or low specific gravity oils fromwells, and in order toovercome this condition it has heretofore been thepractice to heat low gravity oils in order to render them suflicientlymobile to be lifted by means or" ordinary oil well pumping apparatus,but suchpractice involves considerable time,

is labor and expense.

it is the principal object of my invention to provide a relativelysimple and easily practised method and likewise a relatively simpleapparatus that may be economically and efiec 2o tively used for liftingrelatively heavy viscous fluids such as low gravity oils, and whichmethod involves the use of an endless flexible carrier that is caused topass through the body of viscous fluid in order that the latter mayadhere to the carrier and be elevated to a convenient point where it isremoved from the carrier and discharged into suitable tanks orcontainers.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists incertain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts thatwill hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which: V Fig. 1 is an elevational viewpartly in section of a relatively simple form of apparatus that may beconveniently and economically employed in practising my improved method.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the center of a pulley andits supporting bracket that are positioned at the lower end of the welltube.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings which illustrate apractical embodiment of my. invention, 10 designates a suitablesupporting frame that is arranged at the top of an oil well andjournaled for rotation in bearings 11 that are mounted for verticaladjustment on the upper portion of said frame is a pulley 12. The pulley12 is pro- 1938. Serial No. 226,282.

vided with suitable driving means (not shown). J ournaled in the lowerportion of a the frame 10 is a pulley 13. Extending downwardly into thewell hole is the usual well casing 14, and that portion thereof that isadjacent. to the producing horizon is perforated as designated by 15 inorder that oil may readily enter the chamber within said casing.

Extending downwardly through the casing 14 is the well tubing 16, thelower portion of which is perforated as designated by 17, and screwseated in lower end of the tubing is a threaded nipple 18 that is formedintegral with and which projects upwardly from one end of the top of abracket 12.,

Journaled in the bracket 19 is a pulley 20, and mounted for operationupon the pulleys 12, 13 and 20 is a flexible endless carrier, preterablya marlin covered cable 21.

The up-running portion of this flexible carrier passes from pulley 2Oupwardly through the tubing 16, thence over pulley 12 and thedown-running portion of said flexible member passes from the pulley 12downward- 1y through the casing 14 to pulley 20. Pulley 13 serves as asupport and guiding member to cause the down-running portion of theflexible member to travel downwardly through the casing 142 in a planeparallel with and adjacent to the tubing 16.

Secured within the upper portion of the bracket 19 is a short arm orfinger 22 of resilient material, the free end of which bears lightly inthe grooved periphery of pulley 20, and said finger functions as ascraper to remove sand or the like that might otherwise tend toaccumulate within said grooved periphery and thereby interfere with theoperation of the flexible carrier around said pulley.

The upper end of the tubing 16 terminates in front of frame 10 andprojecting outwardly and upwardly from said frame a short distance abovethe upper end of the tubing is a bracket 23 through whichpasses theuprunning portion of the flexible carrier 21, and arranged on saidbracket is a scraper 24 that is designed to engage the surface of thecarrier and remove therefrom by a brushing or scraping action theriscousfluid that Y will pass through the relatively hea is elevated by theup-running portion of theing 14 and said oil, due to its viscosity, willadhere to the up-running portion of the carrier and will, by suchcarrier, be elevated to the upper end of the apparatus where said I oilwill be scraped from the carrier and permitted to pass into suitabletanks or containers.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a relatively sim lo andpractical method of and apparatus or lifting viscous fluids andparticularly low gravity oils which cannot be elevated from oil wells bythe generally used pumping apparatus.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form andconstruction of the various parts of my improved method of and apparatusfor lifting viscous fluids maybe made and substituted for those hereinshown. and described without departing from the spirit of my invention,the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with an oil well tube, of a pulley located at thelower end thereof, a pulley located adjacent to the upper end of saidtube, an endless flexible carrier arranged for operation on said pulleyswith the up-runni'ng portion of said flexible carrier passing throughsaid tube and a scraper engaging the grooved periphery of said pulleybetween the down and up running portions of said flexible carrier.

2. The combination with an oil well tube, of a pulley located at thelower end thereof, a scraper engaging the grooved periphery of saidpulley at the top thereof, a pulley located adjacent tothe upper end ofsaidtube, an endless flexible carrier arranged for operation on saidpulleys with the up-running portion of said flexible carrier passingthrough said tube, and means located adjacent to the upper end of thetube for removing oil thatadheres to said flexible carrier.

3. The combination with an oil well tube,

ture;

ALEXANDER D.

the lower end of which is perforated, of a 1 frame carricdby the lowerend of said tube, a pui'ley arranged for operation within said frame, apulley arranged adjacent to the 7 upper end of the well tube, an endlessflexible carrier arranged for operation on said pulleys with its uprunning portion passing through said tube and a scraper'carried .by a

